I’m back from my USA book tour, and finally have a window of time to sell some Octopus Pie books directly! If you’ve been waiting to get a signed copy of Volume 5, this is your chance. The other books are also available individually or in a 5-pack. Each copy bought from me is signed - optionally, you can add a sketch as well! This sale will end on Sunday night, August 6th, so hop over there now!

If getting a book isn’t enough, there’s a cause as well! Proceeds from the first 50 books sold will be donated to Black & Pink, an organization working with and advocating for LGBTQ inmates. Even if you’re not getting a book, check them out and support the vital work they do.

A note on buying books: if you get a 5-pack, there’s a good chance you’ll need to wait a few weeks while I order stock. I appreciate your patience. If you need a book by a deadline, let me know and I’ll do my very best to accommodate. :)

I jealously decided at the last second to hold onto the final page. I've sold off so much of my work for the needs of the moment. There are way worse things than seeing those pages on the walls of loving homes. But I do get sentimental. Treat 'em good for me!

Friend and comics inspiration Sloane Leong wrote some thoughtful words on Octopus Pie on The Comics Journal. You can read the full piece here. I always love reading Sloane's thoughts on the comics craft, and to be a subject of her commentary is quite moving. You can follow along with Sloane's current and upcoming projects, which I highly recommend doing.

Gary Tyrrell at Fleen wrote some very kind words about the series wrapping, as well. Always an encouraging voice -- thank you, Gary!

I've been receiving hundreds of notes from readers who followed along for years, and I'd like to thank you all for expressing these things to me. Many have pointed out that they were only a teenager or just beginning their 20s when they first discovered the comic, and have seen a progression in themselves over that time. It's a powerful thing to read. Again, thank you.

In more official matters, the Octopus Pie website has been archived into the first wave of Webcomics in the Library of Congress! News from WAPO about it here.

“Webcomics are an increasingly popular format utilized by contemporary creators in the field and often include material by artists not available elsewhere,” Megan Halsband, a librarian in the Serial and Government Publications Division, says in a statement.

The webcomics archive includes a focus on diversity in terms of both cartoonists and characters.

Wonderful news! And congrats to all the other cartoonists in this first wave - you can see them all here. Personally, I hope the Library plans to offer more "first wave" webcomics of the Usenet days, early Keenspot fodder, and the remains of BigPanda. I look forward to a future where academics are beaming my stories into their brains.